Risk Management for IT Projects – How to Deal with Over 150 Issues and Risks

D.M. Hutton (Norbert Wiener Institute and University of Wales, UK)

Kybernetes

ISSN: 0368-492X

Article publication date: 19 June 2007

420

Keywords

Citation

Hutton, D.M. (2007), "Risk Management for IT Projects – How to Deal with Over 150 Issues and Risks", Kybernetes, Vol. 36 No. 5/6, pp. 824-825. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684920710749884

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Anyone who is involved with an IT project is well aware of the risk issues that occur. Risk managers bear a responsibility to manage the risks that arise and are employed because, hopefully, they know how to handle them. Unfortunately, many researchers and developers in systems, cybernetics and management may not be trained to resolve such risk situations and learn to take the responsibility through their experience. The authors of this book, however, give both professionally trained and the untrained project leader the benefit of their wide experience in dealing with the many unforeseen risk issues that arise during a project's cycle. They do this by providing case histories with a clear and detailed analysis of each stage of the project in hand. The importance of risk prevention is emphasised and risk detection is discussed in some depth. The subject is dealt with in a very clear and simple style, which involves the detection of a risk at the early stages, to the formulation of plans to deal with it.

Benner Lientz and Lee Larsen have used their extensive experience in risk management to classify risk into recognisable types based on their source. The ways of dealing with the various types discussed with specific reference to the case studies they have introduced. All of these concepts and the resulting methodology recommended are clearly explained with extensive use of illustrations that pinpoint the relevant tools used and the actions taken.

As a result the topic of risk management was given excellent coverage. What proved to be attractive about the text was the author's decision to treat all the issues from the viewpoint of the risk manager and to identify the risks that occur at the various phases of the project. Advice is then offered to enable the risk to be dealt with efficiently and in a manner which is directly based on their own rich experience.

The book therefore provides excellent advice to the manager and the indeed to any of the project group who need to deal with the issues that, as we all know, are almost certain to arise in an IT project. One IT professional publication has already chosen the book as its “IT book of the month” other publications will no doubt agree with their choice. Cyberneticians, systemists and those involved with management will also benefit.

The book's authors subtitle “How to Deal with Over 150 Issues and Risks” is more than justified and readers can expect to find this an easily read text that is both reliable and worthwhile.

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